Get Healthy on Good Day:The Importance of Staying Hydrated

by Melanie Kendall

Wed, 17 Aug 2011 14:38:44 GMT —

The human body is made up of 60% water. So staying hydrated is an important part of your overall health, especially when exercising.

"People concentrate so much on their diet and making sure that they are getting the proper nutrients and their vitamins and things like that but they don't take into account the amount of water they actual need to take in for everything to work properly," said fitness coach Kris Morrill.

Sweating is the body's way of naturally cooling itself off. If you're working out in air conditioning or during the winter, you might not be sweating as much but you still need to have that water bottle handy because you are still losing water weight

People should drink eight glasses of water a day, more if you are exercising or out in the sun. Coach Morrill says a good rule of thumb is to drink one ounce of water for every pound of body weight you have. He says it is easy if you keep a water bottle with you throughout the day and remember you drink plenty of water before and after your work out. If you start drinking when you get thirsty it could be too late. Thirst should be the final notification that you are dehydrated. Drink plenty of water before you get thirsty to prevent dehydration.

Dehydration Symptoms:

Dry mouth

The eyes stop making tears

Sweating may stop

Muscle cramps

Nausea and vomiting

Heart palpitations

Lightheadedness (especially when standing)

Weakness

Decreased urine output

There's no replacement for water. Not even sports drinks which can make you thirstier. If you want to drink a sports drink while working out try diluting it with half water. That way, you still get the flavorful taste but the benefits of more water. Never drink soda while working out. Soda can cause muscle inflammation.